RED WINGS NOTEBOOK: Game vs. contending Canucks should help Wings

While the Detroit Red Wings have had difficulty with the "bottom feeders" in the NHL, they've had fewer problems with teams that annually reach the postseason.

So a meeting with the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night may just be what Detroit's need.

"We know how dangerous a team and how good they're capable of being," Wings goalie Jimmy Howard said. "Their lines are capable of taking over a game, so it's upon the forwards of getting the puck in at their blue line and hemming them in their zone."

Detroit has won both meetings this season, outscoring the Canucks 13-5.

The Wings are getting to the point where another loss, or a game without at least garnering one point, could all but put them on the outside of the playoffs when the regular season ends next week.

"I still think that we hold it in our own hands," forward Todd Bertuzzi said. "If we win outright we'll be OK. That's the only thing that you can worry about is our individual play. We have a huge game (Saturday) and we have to take care of that, then we have a homestand for a bit, and then one game in Dallas. It's right there in front of us."

Heading into play Friday, Detroit, which has qualified for the playoffs 21 consecutive seasons, is 10th in the Western Conference with 47 points.

Columbus is eighth with 49 points and Dallas is ninth with 47. The Stars hold the tiebreaker of the Wings (regulation and overtime wins, or ROW).

Both the Blue Jackets (16 ROW) and Stars (20 ROW) played Friday night.

Also after Friday, Detroit (18 ROW) will have played three less games than Columbus and one less than Dallas.

"As far as the scoreboard goes, that's not unusual," defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. "Anytime you come down to it, whether you're fighting for a playoff chance, like we are now, or if we're battling for position, I always like to be one of those guys who's aware of what's going on and especially when it gets down to the last few games."

After Saturday's game in Vancouver, the Wings have three in a row at home - Phoenix (Monday), Los Angeles (Wednesday) and Nashville (Thursday - before closing out the season in Dallas a week from Saturday.

"It's hard not to (watch scores come in)," forward Gustav Nyquist said. "You know what games are playing every night. Last night you looked at all the scores, you're hoping for some teams to lose. It was tough for me to go to bed and not see the scores. We will watch games tonight and watch scores tomorrow. That's the way it's going to be all the way in."

"I don't let it (linger)," Howard said. "It's not the first time I've made a mistake out there. It most definitely probably won't be the last. This game is full of making mistakes, but it's how you bounce back."

Both mistakes happened in the third period.

First was a bad exchange with defenseman Jonathan Ericsson and the other was a on a fanned pass attempt by Howard with the Wings' on the power play. Both led to unassisted goals by Steve Begin.

"Unfortunately for a goalie, it's a tough spot to be in because when you make a mistake of that nature, it usually winds up in the back of your net," Howard said. "I felt really bad for the guys after. Basically, it felt like I cost them two points."

Bertuzzi getting closer

Todd Bertuzzi is skating and talking like his season may not be over.

"If that's when it is that's when I get in," Bertuzzi said when asked if he could return to the lineup next week. "You don't want to come in and disrupt, you want to make sure that you're actually ready to go. You don't want to be a hitch, so I have to make sure that I'm more than ready, because we have a lot of healthy bodies. The team is bigger than the individual, so we'll see what happens."

Bertuzzi has been battling a back injury that has caused him to only play seven games this season. He also had to spend some time in the hospital because of the pain.

"I still feel like I can contribute, help out this team, just whichever way it is," Bertuzzi said. "I think that's the frustrating part, I felt so good at training camp and I was healthy, in great shape and this (stuff) happened."